


A Love By Many Names

by TheWritingWolf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, I love these kids so much y’all don’t understand, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic I love you’s, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28944555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingWolf/pseuds/TheWritingWolf
Summary: Love is a funny thing, wouldn’t you say?It’s a word most of us use every day, and yet it holds so many different meanings.We say that word in so many different ways, from our loved ones, to our family, even to our favorite foods. It’s strange how one simple word can convey so much information, but it’s also quite wonderful.However, these feelings of love aren’t all created the same, and frankly, it can be confusing. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re feeling anymore, and it could scare us and confuse us, but it’s okay.Don’t be afraid of your feelings. Embrace them. For that is how you will truly begin to grow.(A Post-New York Special Fic)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	A Love By Many Names

**Author's Note:**

> ‘Sup y’all! How’s it hanging!?
> 
> Nah, I’m just playing. Hi! I’m TheWritingWolf, but something tells me you already know that. Maybe it’s my username next to the title? I dunno. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve all read these kinds of intros a thousand times cuz I know y’all like to creep on this site and feed yourselves off of your fan favorites either smooching or killing each other, so I’ll just cut to the chase.
> 
> I’m pretty new to all of this, and this will primarily be a Miraculous account, most likely with some other fandoms later down the line. I just hope enjoy this little one-shot!

“Welcome home, Marinette!”

The booming voice of her parents courses through the air as Marinette opens the door to the bakery. She launches back in surprise as she sees them both pop out from behind the counter at the exact same time before she erupts into a fit of laughter.

“Did you seriously need to do that?” Marinette giggles.

“Of course we did!” Tom beams, “What kind of parents would we be if we didn’t greet our daughter back without our patented Dupain-Cheng cheer?”

“And you did this by trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Oh, you’re far too young to be worrying about those dear,” Sabine chuckles, “But really, welcome back. We missed having you around.”

“Aw, Maman…” Marinette coos. With love in her heart, she rushes towards them, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek in greeting, the first one that she had since she left for New York.

“So… how was the trip?” Tom asks with a curious tone, and Marinette’s face seems to flash with hurt before it quickly disappears, replaced with a big smile.

“It was great!” She responds a bit louder than she intended, “I learned so much about the States, and I met so many superheroes too! Did you know that there was a hero that makes magic hot dogs?”

Tom tilts his head. “Magic… hot dogs?”

“Oh, yeah! He made these awesome hot dogs that did so many things. When Alya and Nino ate theirs it sounded like they just sucked up a tank of helium! Mine actually made me fly in the air! It was so freaky! Thankfully I had Adrien with… me…”

Marinette’s once happy expression turned dark at the realization of what she said, and a newfound sense of longing filled her heart. She really did screw that up, didn’t she?

“Is something wrong, dear?” Sabine worries. Hearing the tone her mother took, Marinette perks up, plastering another smile on her face as she waves her hand back and forth dismissively.

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine! Totally fine!” Marinette finds herself chuckling nervously as the words leave her mouth, which earns a shared look from her parents. Feeling herself being backed into a corner, Marinette flees for the staircase. “Welp! I’m beat! I’m gonna go lie down for a bit! That plane ride _really_ wore me out! Uh… bye!”

She slams the door shut as soon as she makes her way upstairs and into her room. As soon as she is sure the door behind her closes, Marinette collapses into a fit of groans and whines, which makes the small ladybug sitting inside her bag to pop out, eyeing her in the very same way that her parents did.

“Marinette, what is going on?” Tikki wonders.

The girl in question just sighs, twirling her finger around one of her pigtails, as she looks away from the kwami. “It’s nothing, Tikki. I just… I just miss him. That’s all.”

“ _Him_?”

Marinette groans as the words are repeated back to her. “You know who I mean, Tikki… Adrien. He went back to Paris the day after he even got there, and I… I did nothing to stop him from leaving.”

A wave of sympathy washes over Tikki. “There’s no need to beat yourself up over that, Marinette. You’re going to see Adrien at school tomorrow.”

Realization strikes Marinette.

That’s right. She has school tomorrow.

She wonders how he’ll react to seeing her again after what happened in the rain that day. She wonders if he’ll view her any differently because of it.

She hopes he doesn’t.

Throwing her bag to the side, Marinette walks up the steps leading to her bed, where she then flops directly on top of it, face planting right into her pillow as memories of days long gone repeat within her head.

She recalls that short, yet amazing time they spent together in New York, and a sad smile begins to grow on her face as the memories come rushing back. She remembers how the two of them somehow managed to turn into a bundle of limbs thanks to her ridiculous bad luck with automatic sorts. She remembers how happy he was when they reached that rooftop party.

She remembers his gentle gaze as they danced, serenaded by the familiar song of a guitar.

Those feelings of joy were soon laced with nothing more than regret, as that scene plays within her head. The rain pouring down on them, the sound of thunder pounding within her ears as she tries to reach him…

He could have stayed. He could have stayed and she just let him slip through her fingers.

Marinette absently begins to rub the pink, sensitive skin upon her elbows as his final words repeated within her mind over and over.

_“I wouldn’t have minded being stuck here a little longer with a friend like you.”_

All Adrien wanted to hear was her saying she wanted him by her side. That is all he wanted to hear from her, and she kept her mouth shut. He could have experienced so much more if she just said those few words to him… but she stripped him of that chance.

Honestly, how stupid do you have to be?

However, amidst these feelings of darkness and hurt shines a single beam of light. One memory that truly seemed to make this entire experience bearable.

That beam of light was Chat.

She instinctively pulls the small black cat toy from her pocket, running her finger against it as a bittersweet feeling soon fills her heart. Just how is Chat going to change after everything that happened over there? There’s absolutely no way they can just… go back to the way they once were. That’s just impossible.

So, what now?

How is their dynamic going to change after this? Will he act differently towards her after what happened? Would _she_ act differently? Does Chat even believe she’s sorry for what she said, or was he just being nice to make her feel better?

Just how was he _doing_?

A newfound sense of dread and worry fills her at the prospect of change. So much had happened… everything they ever knew just crashed down in front of them. Master Fu is gone, Chloé betrayed them, and now… this. New York.

Her mind swarmed with memories of their time there, and all of them, without fail, filled her with a sense of complete and utter guilt.

She said that she couldn’t trust him anymore. That had to be the biggest mistake she ever made as a hero.

She didn’t even think when she said it. The words just left her mouth without a second thought, and Marinette never thought she could regret something she said more than what she felt after that. Chat has sacrificed so much for her. He’s sacrificed his _life_ for her because of her own failings as a hero, and what does she do to repay him?

Throw him away like _trash_?

Honestly, what kind of person _does_ that!?

However, what was even worse was watching him after she said it. She watched as his very soul seemed to die as the words left her mouth, and yet, even as the light seemed to die in his eyes, they pleaded for her to move as he was flung towards her.

She didn’t bother to listen, and Uncanny had to pay the price for it.

She remembers how her body fell to the ground lifeless. She remembers how she rusted over, sparks flying off of her body. She remembers how Majestia cradled her corpse in her arms, bawling her eyes out, asking what in the world they had done to her.

She remembers that twisting, dark dread coursing through her body as she witnessed the sight, this feeling overwhelming guilt washing over her… but it could _never_ even compare to what he felt.

Chat Noir _killed_ someone by his hand.

The next thing she knew, he was gone.

Marinette felt her eyes begin to prickle with tears even now. He gave up. He gave up being Chat Noir. He gave up on being a hero. He gave up on _her_.

She was a miracle at work, being able to bring even the dead back to life, but she couldn’t even think of how to get him to come back to her. She felt hopeless without him by her side. He was going to leave her, thinking she didn’t care for him, didn’t trust him…

Didn’t _love_ him.

After what happened, there really isn’t any other word that would do what she feels justice. She can admit that to herself now. She loves Chat with her entire being. Even if these feelings aren’t romantic, it’s still love, Marinette is sure of it. No other word could possibly describe what she feels for him.

She could never thank Uncanny enough for finding him. The joy and relief she felt when he came back reached levels she never thought were possible. That little fist bump they had made her happier than it probably should have, but at that moment she really didn’t care. She was just so happy to have him back, even after everything he had done.

Her mind screeches to a halt at that moment as a sense of grim clarity shines on her. She knows why he wanted to give up his Miraculous now.

When he said he never wanted to hurt anyone, he _meant_ it. Everything he seemed to have ever known came crashing down around him. He thought she didn’t trust him anymore. He left Paris all alone without protection. He _killed_ an innocent girl.

He thought he didn’t deserve it anymore.

That has to be it. There’s no other possibility. Chat wouldn’t simply leave her like that without good reason. He has stood by her side through thick and thin, has pulled her back up from the depths of despair more than once, and has been her source of stability and comfort for so long.

Not once did he give up.

What’s more, she remembers feeling that very same thing when the two of them first met.

He thought he wasn’t worthy of being a hero after what had happened, just like she had. He relinquished his Miraculous, just like she had. He was planning on giving it away, thinking that some other hero would be ten times what he could ever be, just like she had.

The parallels were obvious, but that doesn’t make him leaving any less painful.

The two of them have spent the past two years fighting alongside one another, and for him to just throw it all away, thinking somebody could be a better partner than him, frankly hurt. That damn cat! Doesn’t he know how important he is to her? Doesn’t he know how much she relies on him to be there by her side?

She’s not sure anymore after the way she acted.

Restlessness soon fills her heart. What if he hates her now? What if what she said made him think _she_ hates _him_? Would the two of them fall apart because of this? Because she was stupid and angry and didn’t think about what she was saying?

No, she couldn’t let that happen.

He needs to know. He needs to know everything running around inside her head. She’s done with this half-assed communication the two of them had.

He deserves to know she loves him.

“Tikki?” She calls out into the void of her bedroom, “Spots on.”

She watches as the small ladybug gets sucked into the earrings, and a pink light swarms across her body, a feeling of familiar strength coursing over her. Without a second thought, she yanks the yo-yo off of her waist, opening it up and clicks on Chat’s contact.

_‘Meet me at the tower. I need to see you.’_

Short, sweet, and to the point. A few seconds later, she was graced with a response.

_‘I’ll be there in ten.’_

A wide grin shoots across Ladybug’s face at the sight of the message, and she rushes out of her bedroom and slips through the trapdoor to the balcony, taking to the Parisian rooftops once more.

The cold, nightly air blasts against her face as she runs, the moon and stars illuminating the city. This longing, aching feeling within her only grows stronger and stronger as she approaches the tower, every second spent running is another one hoping.

Hoping to see him again after so long.

She doesn’t care if it was only a little less than a week. She needs to see him. She needs to tell him everything she feels for him. She can’t lie to him anymore.

She can’t lie to _herself_ anymore.

She touches down on the Eiffel Tower soon enough, and begins to pace back and forth frantically, her mind racing with possibilities of what could happen when the two of them meet. What would she say? What would she _do_? Would the two of them laugh? Argue? Scream? Cry?

She doesn’t know… and it scares her.

She really didn’t think this through.

Maybe if she tried playing some scenes in her head, it would help! Yeah! Chat would probably just pop on up to the tower, shoot her a quick one liner and she would roll her eyes. Yeah, that sounds about right… right?

No, no. That couldn’t be what would happen. There’s no way that Chat would be _that_ excited to see her. She pretty much just destroyed his very being back in New York. He’s probably going to be angry with her, and she’ll just need to sit there and bear it.

She has to.

No, that isn’t right either! He wouldn’t do that to her! Agh! Why is this so hard!?

“Bug?”

The sound of his voice booms through the air, and Ladybug turns to see him staring at her with wide eyes. Any thoughts she thought she had, any preconceptions of him were thrown out of the window as she was overcome with a newfound _need_.

She needs to tell him, hug him, kiss him, _anything_ to convey the sheer amount of love swarming within her chest at this very moment.

So she does exactly that.

Without prompt or warning, Ladybug makes a beeline to him, throwing herself directly into his chest and flinging her arms around him into the tightest, strongest hug she could muster. Feeling her weight crash into him, Chat falls backwards onto the tower, hitting his head on the beam and hissing in pain.

Ladybug begins to panic.

“Oh my god! Are you okay!? I shouldn’t have done that. Stupid! Stupid!” Ladybug slaps her forehead repeatedly before turning her attention back to Chat. “Is your head bleeding? Oh, please don’t tell me it’s bleeding. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.”

Chat simply laughs at the sheer fear in her eyes. “Relax, my head isn’t bleeding,” Chat responds gently, “Though I do have this sudden headache…”

Ladybug’s face swarms with guilt. “I am _so_ sorry. I didn’t mean to do that! I was so happy to see you again and you were right there and I really wanted to hug you and I just -”

“Hey. Hey. Listen to me.” Chat places his hand on her cheek, and Ladybug silences herself. “It’s okay. I’ve dealt with worse things than a headache.”

“You sure?” Ladybug whimpers, guilt ridden. Chat simply nods in response, and she can feel herself literally deflate, flopping back down onto his chest, wrapping her body around him as he lay on his back, earning an ‘Oof’ from Chat.

“Um… Ladybug?” Chat asks, “What are you doing?”

“Giving you a hug,” Ladybug answers without hesitation, muttering the words into his solid chest. Chat stays silent afterwards, and when she looks up to meet his gaze, she sees him thoroughly confused, yet still smiling like an idiot.

Maybe it was about time to start being honest.

“I missed you _so_ much,” Ladybug says, “You have no idea how much I did.”

“Well, if the way you greeted me is any indication, I think I might have a pretty good one,” Chat replies with a smirk, and Ladybug finds herself giggling.

“I didn’t know what I was thinking, okay?” She sputters, a faint blush painted across her cheeks, “I just missed you. What’s so wrong with that?”

Chat’s grin widens. “Nothing.”

Ladybug’s face erupts into another grin as she begins to snuggle into him once more, and she feels Chat wrap his strong arms around her, pulling her close to his body, and as she lays upon his chest, she can feel a faint rumbling erupt from it.

“Oh my gosh, you _can_ purr.” Ladybug coos, ecstatic at the discovery. She watches as Chat’s face turns red at the sentence, and he stops purring, much to her disappointment. A slight huff escapes his lips as he looks away from her.

“Don’t get used to it…” He mutters. Ladybug just finds herself giggling again.

“Aw, but it’s so cute! Do it again!”

“Okay, first off. It’s not _cute_ ,” Chat hisses, “And second off, um… _no_?”

Ladybug pouts, quite visibly pouts, and Chat can feel any determination to keep arguing with her just disappear. A quieter rumbling than before begins to erupt from his chest again, and Ladybug smiles as she moves forward to give the boy a kiss on the forehead.

Chat’s eyes widen beyond comparison at what she’s doing, and Ladybug just beams at him.

“I’m so happy that you’re here with me.”

There was something in those words, those few words, that made whatever sense of self-control she has left begin to fade. Ladybug can feel her breath grow ragged, her lips quivering as her eyes glisten over with tears, “I… I wouldn’t know what to do if you weren’t here. You mean so much to me… and I…”

Chat delicately runs his finger against her cheek, smiling with that same, loving smile he always has, and in that moment, something broke.

In his eyes, his deep green eyes, she saw so much. So much of _him_. It felt like she was seeing him for the first time, and yet has known him for all her life. What she saw before her was her best friend - the one person in the whole world that could truly understand her. She saw her partner - someone thrown into this magical chaos just trying his hardest to be the best hero he can be. She saw a boy that she hurt with her words, words that will never be true, no matter what.

All he did was make a bad decision. He couldn’t have foreseen this happening. Nobody could have. She trusted him so much that she couldn’t even imagine being a hero without him by her side. She couldn’t imagine her life without him anymore.

Her partner was just a boy, just as she was a girl, and yet through it all… they were still here.

They were still here for each other.

“I love you.”

Time freezes as those three simple words leave her lips. She watches as Chat’s eyes widen in complete surprise, and she begins to wonder just how long he waited to hear those words. But even then… this wasn’t the romantic beginning he hoped for.

No. What she said was nothing but a promise.

There was nobody else that could ever replace him. Nobody could ever be her Chat Noir. Nobody else would spend their days trying to make her laugh by telling those horrible puns that she found endearing. Nobody else would spend their nights talking to her after an akuma attack in the middle of the night, willing to suffer the tiredness alongside her from their poor decision making skills. Nobody else could help her back on her feet and rise up again better than he can.

She couldn’t imagine anyone else but him.

And from what she could tell, he knew that too.

“I love you too, my lady.” Chat pulls her closer to his body before planting the softest, most delicate kiss upon her forehead. “I am so sorry for what I did to you.” A kiss on her cheek. “I promise I won’t leave you again.” A kiss on the other. “I can’t imagine being Chat Noir without you by my side either.”

Ladybug smiles softly. “I know.”

Minutes soon passed, as neither spoke a word to the other, simply letting themselves feel. The two heroes, still trapped within their embrace, refused to let go of each other. They held each other so fondly, so lovingly, that every ounce of affection they had for the other came rushing out without resistance. Chat delicately purred as Ladybug began to run her hand through his soft, fluffy hair, not even bothering to hide his joy at the touch. He nuzzles into her, rubbing his cheek against hers, and Ladybug realizes just how much of a cat he really is.

However, when she gets a good look at him, seeing him staring at her with those deep green eyes, she can’t help but come to a very important conclusion.

He had no right to be this adorable _and_ hot.

Yeah, that’s right. Her partner’s hot. She always knew it. But she'll have to learn how to deal with that fact on a later date. Right now she has other plans in mind.

“Hey,” Her voice shatters the delicate silence, catching the attention of her kitty, earning a hum from him, “You feel up for a quick patrol?”

Chat smirks. “Right now?”

Ladybug smirks back. “Right now.”

Chat beams as bright as the sun at the idea, and the two heroes rise from their spot on the tower, standing up for the first time in quite a while. However, as they do, Ladybug steps back, realizing just how _big_ Chat was compared to her now. He had to have stood a good half a head taller than her when they first met, but now…

Now she’s imagining him resting his chin on her head.

Chat bows down to her height, making direct eye contact with his much smaller partner, and grabs her hand. He pulls it towards his mouth and places a delicate kiss upon her knuckles.

“I would be honored… my lady.”

Ladybug beams at the nickname, and when she pulls her hand back, a glimmer of mischief begins to shine in her eyes as she pushes Chat back with nothing but her finger.

Just because she liked him kissing her hand doesn’t mean she can’t mess with him a little.

“Well, you better start moving, because I’m not slowing down for you!” She challenges with a playful smirk on her face.

Chat simply reciprocates the smirk in kind. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

That night, the two heroes of Paris chased each other till the morning came, and if anybody still awake at such an hour decided to take a picture of them, well… they wouldn’t try and say it’s fake.

They knew they could handle whatever came their way as long as they were together. After all… it would always them against the world.

Right?

**Author's Note:**

> So basically I’m Ladynoir trash
> 
> Yeah, that’s it. That’s the thought. Thanks for reading this little cutesy blurb! I’ll be posting a long standing fic I have been working on for quite some time in a little bit, so please be prepared for that if you’re interested!


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